Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-01
Mr.. EATON'S GRAFTON.


1t is a privilege and duty of the
thoughtful and the educated, especially in
republics, to lead and light the way of
sound principles upon all great subjects of
politics and government. Political par
ties-their sphere and functions under our
political systematic good and the evil
which spring from them-are, trust you
Will think, such subject and not unfit
for this occasion.
Wherever history has preserved the
records of enlightened government, par
ties of some sort appear among the forces
by which their political affairs have been
most affected Nowhere has this been
Britain and the United States
After an experience of so many genera.
tions In the older country, and of a cen
tury under our constitutions, we might
reasonably expect to find ample discus
cussions and body of definite, generally
accepted principles, concerning parties and
the proper limits and methods of their
action, under our system.
The facts are qulte.OtherWise. Sir Hen
ry Sumner Maine declares, in his latest
work, that mo force acting ION mankind
has been less carefully examined than
party, and yet none better deserves eX-
| animation" Mr.. Sheldon Amos, in his
Science OF Politics, states, that party i'll
England Is undergoing steady transfer
nation in which 1t is almost by forced
| subterfuges and suppressed convictions
that political organization is maintained
at all. Matthew Arnold in the last mum
| Der OF the Contemporary RcUicp, ar.
raigns what he calls the "fiction insin-
cerity and claptrap" of politics, and de
clares the force outside of them "to be
| the greater force"
In this country we have no lack of his
tories of parties, and DR. Lieber and
| President Woosey have brought much
| m N to no bat
yet nowhere has the subj ect been treated
on the basis of onr political system. 1t
has not, until very lately, at leas', been
recognized by our colleges as worthy the
attention of educated men.
The natural result has been Il contrare
ty of thought, or neglect OF all thought
and reckless surrender to habit and pre-
JUDGE, without a parallel, on any Other
subject of vital interest to the people. The
stupendous machinery OF the government
itself, and all those agencies through
which the wisdom, the morality and the
religion OF the nation can make them
selves felt in guiding its great powers ant
policies, have taken a far lower place thar
they deserve in the respect Of our thinkers
and writers.
Very few persons | must think, have
considered what mighty, all pervadlng
despotic, almost irresistible power party
has become in our times. Organized il
every village and city-if not in every
town aud ward-in every assembly anC
congressional district, all over the Union
and in every State separately these State
organizations, united under vast nation
al organization, which combines and con
| centrateS the power of all every sepa
rate body well disciplined and ofiicered
and able to collect ample sums of money
through threats of its power or hopes OF
its favor each supplied with experienced
workers, very generally drawn from the
public service at the mere bidding of par
ty managers this vast combination rein
forced and defended by the whole partiza1
press, animated by "A zeal and hate otter
COMPOUNDED with patriotism itself, and by